United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-05-13

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Tuesday, 13 May 1997

HEADLINES

• UNICEF reports an attack on its international staff in eastern Zaire.
• UN Secretary-General, on a visit to Japan, says a concerted international effort is needed to help Zaire pick up the pieces after the fighting is over.
• The newly-formed Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons gets an executive body to run its day to day operations.
• Proceeds from oil sales in the "oil-for-food" deal for Iraq reach US$ 1.3 billion.
• UN Committee on Information opens its annual session in New York.
• A UN-sponsored conference begins in Windhoek, Namibia, to examine ways of eradicating poverty in southern Africa.
• United Nations Population Fund warns of negative impact of shortfalls in population assistance to developing countries.
• Musician Harry Belafonte gets a UNICEF award for his work to help children.

The incident drew immediate condemnation from United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan, now on an official visit to Japan. According to his spokesman at UN Headquarters, the Secretary-General gave instructions to look into ways to strengthen UN security procedures to better protect international and locally recruited staff who work under very difficult conditions in hot spots around the world.

Also condemning the attack, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that it was imperative that the ADFL authorities responsible for the maintenance of law and order in the area did everything within their power to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of what she described as "barbaric behaviour". Meanwhile, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Yasushi Akashi called on all parties to desist from acts that were contrary to the principles of humanitarianism.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Secretary-General had a series of meetings with Japanese parliamentarians, exchanging views on UN reform and commending the example set by Japan in extending concrete support to economic and social development in developing countries, especially in Africa. His interlocutors included a delegation of the Inter-party Parliamentary League for Support of the United Nations and the Parliamentary Group for Japan's Contribution to the United Nations.

Also on Tuesday, the Secretary-General talked to representatives of the media at a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. Responding to a question about the situation in the Great Lakes region, he noted that there was an on-going discussion about the need for an international conference on reconstruction, reconciliation and pacification of the region to be able to assist Zaire and the governments in region to begin pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

The 12th weekly report released on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York says that as of 9 May, a cumulative total of 169 humanitarian sales contracts were approved out of 322 submitted to the Security Council Committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the oil-for-food formula.

The report notes that a total of 51 oil contracts have so far been submitted and approved, with the total oil proceeds reaching US$ 1.37 billion last week. According to a UN spokesman, the United Nations expected the total proceeds to reach nearly US$ 1.5 billion within a week.

The first session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention elected members of the Executive Council of the newly- formed Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The seats on the Executive Council, which will oversee the day to day functioning of the Organization, will be divided among five regional groups. After intensive discussions, the Conference also approved its Rules of Procedure.

Speaking at the opening of the session today, Assistant Secretary- General for Public Information Samir Sanbar gave an oral report on the work of his Department. Mr. Sanbar stressed that having to do more with less, the Department of Public Information had made every effort to streamline its operational machinery, forge stronger ties with media organizations and develop wider audiences.

The Committee on Information will hold the second segment of its annual session from 2 to 8 September in order to have an opportunity to discuss the recommendations on United Nations reform that the Secretary- General is expected to make in July.

The United Nations-sponsored meeting will seek to promote action on the outcome of various United Nations international conferences on sustainable human development and poverty eradication. It specifically focuses on the outcome of the 1995 World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen.

Drawn from the southern African region, some 100 representatives from a wide range of institutions and interest groups are expected to come up with a practical programme of action in finding solutions to the critical issues confronting communities at local level.

Preliminary conclusions of a UNFPA study made public on Tuesday indicate that shortfalls in population assistance may result in at least 120 million additional unwanted pregnancies, 49 million abortions, 5 million deaths of infants and young children, and 65, 000 maternal deaths over the period 1995 - 2000.

The study notes that while developing countries continue to increase allocations for reproductive health, international assistance has stagnated in the past year. UNFPA is concerned that donors may not meet their one- third share of the $17 billion required in the year 2000.

Commenting on the findings of the study, the Executive Director of UNFPA, Dr. Nafis Sadik stressed that the goals set by the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) could be reached only if all countries did their part. "We must count on donor countries to meet the commitments they made in Cairo. If they do not, millions of women, and their children, will suffer," she said.

Mr. Belafonte, who popularized calypso music over forty years ago, has used his musical talent to put the spotlight on the plight of needy children, particularly in Africa. Welcoming the UNICEF award, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he has been personally gratified by the many visits that Mr. Belafonte have made to the children of Africa, from Mozambique to Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Zaire and Zimbabwe.

From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

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